of black flags and pirate ships
by alittlebitlate
Summary: These are their tears, their laughter, their time living something poorly defined as the best days of their lives. [Based off Teruul's Race for One Piece]
1. of tragedies and romances

Title: of tragedies and romances  
Characters: Roa and Lance (slight Roa/Lance fluff)  
Word count: 2,064  
Rating: T for blood and language

A/N: Plot bunnies, plot bunnies... I highly suggest you read Teruul's Race for One Piece before this, or else you won't be able to understand many things. Feedback would be seriously appreciated :3 Also, this probably won't have consistent updates, so don't shit yourself when I update twice in a week after six months of no updating XD There may be AU slants and may not, some will be drabbles, and some will be oneshots like this. Of course, there will be different genres.

Set before the Volcaniea arc.

* * *

Ukae Island was a quiet sort of island, though it tended to get rowdy with the many pirates catching a pit stop there. Though not as spectacular as some other islands residing in the same sea, it was welcome for pirates who liked taking a breather, because it was very isolated, though not untouchable, of the World Government's influence. Even so, pirates still needed to keep an eye out for bounty hunters looking for a quick beli.

In a corner of the shadier part of the town, in an abandoned warehouse that had been boarded up, Shuusun Roa swore though his muffled gag, slumping down a bit in the chair he was tied to.

"I'll ask you once again, Demon Archer," a figure loomed over him. "Where are the rest of the Saber Pirates?" he ripped the gag, rather forcefully, from the navigator's mouth, and the blonde had to bit down on his lip to avoid a yelp.

Roa mustered the deadliest glare he had ever given, before saying clearly, "Fuck you."

His head jerked to the side before he even felt the pain, making the chains rattle, and bit his lip down again to stop a hiss of pain. His cheek burned, and he was sure it was flaring red now. The man - the ringleader of the bounty hunters? - punched him again.

"I don't think it's any use, sir," one of the bounty hunters tried to reason. "We've been going at him since morning, and - "

"Shut up, you fool!" the ringleader roared, slamming his combat boot into Roa's gut. There was a snapping noise as a few ribs gave way, and Roa bit his lip so hard he drew blood, and really wished that he had his bow and arrows to beat the fuck out of them.

Except that they had taken his weapons and had stuffed them somewhere.

Mentally, he cursed himself for making such a stupid mistake. When they had docked at Ukae Island, Atalaya and Ankh had gone out to get some medical supplies, Ruule went to get ingredients, Kitsune stayed on ship, and the stupid pretty boy some materials to tinker with.

Him? He went to the nearest bar and stupidly asked about the next island the Log Pose pointed to, earning him a club to the back of his head that caught him off guard and knocked him out. He didn't know where Fell was, only that she had flown away.

The bounty hunters had spent the next seven hours beating him for information on his crew.

"Stupid pirate! Speak!" one of the lackeys snarled, punching him with a spiked glove. The spikes dug into his skin, leaving shallow but painful puncture marks, and one of them kicked his shin so hard he felt the crunch in his bones and winced through the blood that covered his face, but he didn't dare yell back at them. He didn't dare trust himself to scream in agony once he opened his mouth.

"Sir! If we keep beating him like this, he'll die before we can get him to the nearest Marine Base, and his bounty will be cut thirty percent!" one of the lackeys yelled.

"I know that, you idiot!" the captain snapped, running a hand through his hair. "Still, forty million and twenty-eight million mean nothing if we get the whole crew." the last word was filled with a sneer in his direction.

Roa glared at him, before mustering as much spit and blood as he could and spat it in his face in a fascinating mixture of copper. _Like hell anyone would lose to you cowards, _he mentally snarled._  
_

The ringleader swore, before stabbing a knife into his shoulder and digging it in, before yanking it out with a sickening _s__quelch_, and Roa squeezed his eyes shut at the pain that flared in the numbness that was his body. "Fuck you, filthy scum!"

And then his eyes caught a flash of green, then blue. He blinked for a moment, before letting out a gasp of surprise and pain as the ringleader stabbed the knife in again, this time only a bit above his heart. "What're you looking at, huh?" he taunted, a triumphant look on his face for making the archer yelp in pain.

There was a crunching noise, and the bounty hunters looked around curiously for source of the noise, when suddenly a large chunk of the roof fell down, sending them all flying from the pressure. Roa yelled in surprise as the chair was thrown back, and bashed his head against the hard ground, but the wood gave way, and mercifully he felt the chains loosen and he tugged himself free.

"What exactly do you gentlemen think you're doing with our navigator?"

Roa scowled at the silky voice. "About time, pretty boy."

Lance looked behind him, glaring at the bloodied man. "If you weren't so foolish to get caught yourself, I wouldn't have to do this, charlatan," he said flatly, even as Fell wobbly flew in the hole on the ceiling, jaws clamped around a bow and a quiver.

The battle was short, and soon the shipwright was calmly sheathing his trench knives, all the bounty hunters unconscious. He scowled as he eyed the Den Den Mushi in one's hand, and Roa struggled to his feet.

The moment he stood up straight, he felt pain stab him, and tipped over. Fell let out a warning cry even as she latched onto his back.

_Shit, I lost too much blood..._ Roa thought bleakly, as everything turned fuzzy around him. _The damn pretty boy's never gonna let me forget this..._

He spiraled into black.

* * *

When Roa opened his eyes again, he was surprised to find that it was only sunset, judging by the orange streaks in the sky outside the window.

The second thing he noticed was that he was in a room. On a bed. Wrapped in crude bandages and a bowl of water on the carpeted ground beside him. Fell was curled up next to him, fast asleep. His bow and quiver lay in the corner of a room, unscathed.

The door creaked open, and Lance entered, with more gauze and disinfectant. He raised an eyebrow at Roa. "You're finally awake, charlatan," he said coolly, setting down the things beside the bowl of water.

"Where's this?"

"Hotel," Lance answered. He paused for a moment. "You also need to thank Fell - she's not used to flying without carrying a human, and there were many humans and pirates who were... interested in her. Still, she managed to find me."

Roa scoffed. "I suppose I need to thank you too?" he asked, looking away. He grunted in slight pain as he sat himself up, and crossed his arms, scowling.

"I need no thanks from such a pitiful-looking man."

"Why you - "

Lance grabbed the punch that was thrown easily, given the archer's condition, and grabbed both his wrists when the other one connected, before slamming them both against the wall. "I advise such a pitiful-looking man shan't pick a fight with me in his condition," he said, raising an eyebrow in amusement as Roa turned red, from anger or embarrassment he didn't know. "If you open your wounds again, I'm not helping you," he added.

"Put a lid on it, pretty boy," Roa snarled back, in a last act of defiance.

The two men paused for a moment, and it was precisely then that Roa realized how close they were. Lance must've also realized, because he blinked for a moment and then let his wrists go, pulling back with a less-than-subtle flush on his cheeks.

"Prude, pretty boy?" he taunted.

"Shut your mouth, charlatan," the blue-haired shipwright scowled back.

"Why don't you find Ankh to treat me?"

"The bounty hunter back there, with the Den Den Mushi, tipped off the Marines. They're probably taking care of them as we speak, but if I leave you alone here I doubt you'll be able to defend yourself."

Roa gave him the finger.

The two of them lapsed into silence, and Roa leaned back against the smooth plaster of the wall, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Somewhere between the beatings from the bounty hunters, his braid had come loose, and golden hair tumbled down as if spun from a wheel. Lance hadn't bothered to take him out of his current clothes, and his sleeveless jacket and camo pants were looking a little worse for wear. Lance, on the other hand, seemed to be at the exact opposite of the spectrum, with his neatly combed hair and his immaculately pressed suit, free of wrinkles.

Roa scowled again. "I really hate you," he said flatly.

"Likewise, charlatan," Lance replied easily. He had opened a book, and was now flipping through the pages, completely immersed in the story. Roa squinted to make out the gold lettering on the black cover.

"..._Romeo and Juliet_?" he questioned, holding back a snicker. "Isn't that a sappy comedic romance story? Never took you to be the type of person who would sigh over Romeo."

"Never took you to be the type of person who could actually read," Lance retorted. Before Roa could grab ahold of his arrows and shoot an explosive one at his head, he continued, "It's not a comedy either. They both die in the end."

There was a pause as Roa processed that. "Huh," he said simply, leaning back against the wall again. "Anyway, we should get back to Atlas before night falls so that Atalaya can find us a hotel or an inn, they probably took care of the Marines by now." he clucked his tongue. "Shit, I forgot to ask for the time it takes for the Log to set."

"Only a man as stupid as you would forget that," Lance ducked under the arrow that sailed at his head. It stabbed in the wall, embedding all the way up to the feathers stuck in the back. He checked his hat to make sure it didn't graze it, before eyeing Roa, who was gingerly pressing his feet to the carpeted floor. "Can you walk?"

"Shut up, these are only scratches," Roa grouched, standing up easily. Save for a tiny limp, no one could detect anything out of the ordinary. He leaned down, rousing Fell. "Hurry up, let's go."

* * *

By the time they arrived at the docks again, dusk had fallen, and the rest of the crew were waiting rather impatiently (save for Ruule and Kitsune).

"About time!" Atalaya huffed, when she caught sight of them. "Ruule's already finished dinner." she held up two containers. "Ankh's found an inn that has a few open rooms, and won't squeal on us." she eyed Roa's bandages and scratches. "What happened to you?"

"Got in a bar fight," Roa dismissed easily. "Nothing to worry about. Now, where's that inn?" He grabbed one container from Atalaya, Lance thanking her and taking the other one. The two of them hung back from the group, immersed more in eating than talking with the crew.

There was a pause as Roa suddenly said, "Don't tell them anything, it's already been done and those guys got what was coming to them."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "You mean, when _I _took them out, charlatan?" he taunted, a slight smirk tugging on his lips.

"Once these wounds heal, I am going to _gut _you, pretty boy, and then show Ruule how to drain the poison out of blue-haired shipwrights."

"Whatever you say, charlatan," Lance replied, an all-out smirk on his face now. He fished in his pocket, pulling out his copy of _Romeo and Juliet _out again, flipping through pages to look for his spot, balancing his dinner with the other.

There was a small pause, then Roa said quietly, "Don't you dare fucking die on me, or I'm going to kill you."

"I wasn't planning to," Lance quipped, pulling his hat down to hide the amused look on his face.

A smirk pulled on Roa's face.

"Good."

* * *

A/N: Ah, gotta adore that tsundere love that Roa always shows. I will huggle you if you leave reviews and huggle you even more if you leave constructive criticism. Thanks!

I don't own One Piece, that goes to Oda, and I don't own Race for One Piece, that goes to Teruul. Nor do I own any characters save for the extras like the bounty hunters, nor Romeo and Juliet (well, that one's pretty obvious XD). I will say this only once because it is seriously tedious.

-alittlebitlate


	2. of broken pride and first mates

Title: of broken pride and first mates  
Characters: Atalaya and Kitsune nakamaship/slight fluff  
Word count: 1,844  
Rating: T for blood and Kitsune's goddamn mouth

A/N: THE CUP OF COFFEE HAS OVERFLOWN! (little reference there if a certain someone notices it ;) ) Yeah, I kept thinking about a what-if where Kitsune prepares to sacrifice himself for his captain like Zoro did at Thriller Bark, so this has an AU-ish slant. Also, there is slight OOC because Kitsune is not fluffy, but for reasons :P Mostly because of my Volcaniea prediction, though. Also, let me take note that I CANNOT COPY KITKAT'S ACCENT. LIKE OH MY GOD. EITHER HIS ACCENT IS TOO HEAVY OR IT'S NOT ENOUGH. /bashes head against wall and sobs

Set sometime after the Volcaniea arc.

* * *

Amidst the broken debris littering the uneven ground, Kitsune shakily stood. Blood trickled down one temple, bruises and scrapes were abundant over his body, and a particularly nasty gash oozed out blood.

He shook a bit of rock dust out of his hair, before bending over to close his hand over the hilt of an unsheathed Hebi Kotei -

And instinct took over before his mind really processed it, and suddenly he was rolling over, under a flying slash that neatly trimmed the abandoned houses behind him, and he cursed, rolling up into a sitting position against a slab of broken stone, his entire body shaking from exertion, and his fingers curled over his weapon (that he had almost stabbed himself while rolling, he might add) as he stared down the man who had not even a scratch on him.

"Hawkeye Mihawk, 's you, ain't it?" he breathed, a trademark smirk on his face despite the situation. He could spy the crumpled forms of his comrades in the distance, and a little closer to the Shichibukai than he would've liked were the prone figures of Lance, Roa, and Fell.

Closer even was the unconscious body of his captain, so close the man could kill her in a whim.

Hell, he was so strong it was barely even _fair_. Kitsune didn't even know it was _possible _to cut that damned huge-ass castle in half, much less let it fall down and crush the majority of his crew, especially not after they'd defeated their corrupted king (which, to his credit, was _pretty damned strong_, and Kitsune had rather enjoyed cutting him up). Of course, the townspeople had fled after glimpsing into those stark yellow eyes, ones that trapped prey like mice before swooping and cutting them up.

And the world's strongest swordsman claimed that he was here on a goddamned fucking _whim_, and that he was here for the bounty price on his captain's head. Of course the crew had resisted strongly, but in a few blurs and slashes of black they were taken out, Kitsune only managing to withstand the attack by pulling out his Zoan fruit at the last second.

He always scowls at the use of Kanrei Jack's fruit, but it was a usable tool nevertheless.

Kitsune stood, angling his sword so that it caught the light.

Dracule Mihawk stared at the Meito in his hands. "I see you fancy yourself as a swordsman. How did you get your hands on one of the 21 O Wazomono Grade Swords?" he inquired lightly, even as he reached for the kogatana around his neck.

"Doesn't matter, does it? In battle, all that matters 's how strong ya are," Kitsune drawled, crouching into a stance as his eyes opened a sliver, enough for the blood-red eyes of a demon to gleam through.

"Fox Dance Gullitone."

He took off at a speed that would make him invisible to an ordinary man, but Mihawk's eyes followed him clearly, without pause, even as he brought down his sword onto his neck. One skillful parry with a knife - oh fuck, Hebi Kotei was parried by a goddamned _dinner knife_, and he doesn't even know how to feel about that anymore - sent him flying, and then a sudden blur of black and maroon meld together, and then the world's greatest swordsman was behind him.

It took approximately two seconds for the pale swordsman to feel the slashes, searing pain into his body, and he stumbled forward, blood pouring from his mouth, his fingers tightening on the hilt of his sword with a fierce desperation, but he refused to fall, because _he_ _can'thecan'thecan't _and if he falls he knows he'll be letting down his captain, and his crew, and that is not an option.

Not after they'd saved and changed him in Volcaniea.

He turned around, but his vision is blurry and he saw double, and the world was spinning at a ferocious rate.

And he knew. He knew that he couldn't beat this man no matter how he tried, because the odds and possibly the entire goddamned _world _was stacked against him, and he felt as helpless as he had all those years ago, in the clutches of his hated father -

But this time he _wasn't_. And this time he'll redirect the knife he's holding from his mother's gut to his father's throat, because he's seen enough and he _can_.

"Does'it really hafta be my cap'n's head yer takin'?" Kitsune questioned softly, and the way he said it made Mihawk blink - which is possibly the most emotion he'd gotten out of the Shichibukai anyway.

His knees gave out on him and he bowed his head in submission to the stronger man. "'m sayin', 's it okay if ya take my head instead of my captain's? 'S only seven million beri difference, 'fter all."

For a moment, a flicker of surprise crossed Mihawk's face, but as fast as it appeared, it was gone. "There are many men who wish to become the world's greatest swordsman...and I sense an ambition similar to that from you..to become the strongest. Are you willing to lay down your ambitions for your captain?" he questioned.

"'m willin' ta lay down my pride, my honor, and my life," Kitsune replied flatly, not bothering to raise his head. His injuries ached, and suddenly he felt very lightheaded.

There was a pause as the wind whistled softly through the abandoned island, ruffling the silvery-white hair of the bowed pirate.

He heard the rustle of fabric. "Boy, tell me your name."

Despite the desperate situation, the first mate smirked. "'Crimson Fox' Kitsune."

"I see." There was another pause. "You may raise your head." When Kitsune got up, he realized that the man had unsheathed Yoru, the strongest sword in the world. "Very well, I will comply to your request. Harm will not befall your captain, nor any of your crewmates." he pointed the black blade directly at Kitsune. "However..."

"Yea' I get it," Kitsune said. "Thanks fer that, by the way."

Time seemed to stop as the world's greatest swordsman slashed downwards, and the air bent to his will into a flying slash attack, and Kitsune lifted his arms up, parallel to the ground to expose his chest, and the first mate opened his eyes to a small sliver just as the slash cut a devastating rip across his chest, from his right arm to across his chest to his left knee.

His body crumpled, his life force oozing out of him as rapidly as the blood was. Mihawk sheathed Yoru, yellow eyes narrowed at the unconscious swordsman. "So another man like you exists, Roronoa?" he questioned softly, stepping back.

The boy wasn't dead, he mused, but without rapid treatment, he would. "It's not your time to die, youngster," he murmured. "Rise to the top, and perhaps you will challenge me again."

He turned around with a flourish, black coat flaring out behind him.

* * *

_"Oi! Kitsune! Come over here for a sec!" _

_The swordsman looked up from cleaning Hebi Kotei clean of Kanrei Jack's blood. His father had fallen at the hands of the duo, and Kitsune had already decided that he would continue his adventures with the Saber Pirates. It was the day after the celebration feast (because his rambunctious captain always had to throw a feast, he supposed, smirking a bit), and just about everyone was nursing a hangover. _

_"'s wrong, sweetheart?" he crooned. He smirked as Atalaya bristled visibly at his comment, but made no move to act on it. _

_"Just _come here _for a second. Bron found a tattoo shop in Yougan City, and we can get that goddamned brand off your back." _

_Unconsciously, Kitsune moved his hand to brush the demon brand on his back, shivers crawling up his spine just thinking about his father and what he had done to him. Atalaya noticed his expression, and hurriedly added, "That is, if you want."_

_Kitsune's lip curled. "Why not? C'mon, and show the way, sweetheart." _

_He ignored the warning that the devil gave him, about how it would leave scarring. Like he cared about scarring. He had gotten plenty of scars before, in battle, and from his f - _

_He mentally stopped himself from going down that road._

_A sharp pain spiked in his back as the devil carefully removed the brands of ink that was stuck in his skin, and his back felt like it was on fire, so he imagined that there was a fire on his back, burning the ropes that bound him to General Snow. _

_It worked. _

_He had no idea how long it lasted, but when the devil announced that it had been removed, Kitsune suddenly said, "Aye, wouldja be so kind as ta do me another favor?"_

_"Of course! You pirates are the heroes of our country - " _

_"Okay, gimme another tattoo on my back." _

_An hour later, Kitsune walked out, slipping his bloodstained kimono back over a tattooed back. It was a jolly roger, one with a bandanna and overly long canines, and words above and below it. _

**CRIMSON FOX KITSUNE**

**FIRST MATE**

_Atalaya had taken note of it, but hadn't commented, instead walking with a small smile on her face. _

_"Kitsune!" _

_He jerked his head toward her. "What, sweetheart?" _

_"Kitsune!" _

_"Kitsune!" _

" - Kitsune, wake up, goddammit!"

Eyelids flew open in surprise, and he stared up at the alarmed face of his captain. He shifted a bit, and realized that he was still on the cold, hard ground that he had landed on, but something felt a little different.

He sat up in a sitting position, ignoring the fresh wave of pain that it brought on, and noticed the bloodied bandages wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso. "So th' Witch Doctor treated me, huh?"

_I'm still alive. _

Atalaya scoffed, sounding relieved now that she knew he was awake and kicking. "You were roughly an inch from death when she did, Ankh saved your sorry ass. What the hell happened with that Shichibukai, though?" she added, looking confused. "When I woke up, he was gone, and you were trying to compete in terms of biggest scars that dead guys have."

_"Is it okay if you take my head instead of my captain's?" _

Kitsune smirked. "Dunno, sweetheart," he drawled. "Maybe I scared 'im off."

_"There's only a seven million beri difference, after all." _

Atalaya sighed, raising an eyebrow. "Well, whatever. We're all alive, after all.." she turned around, her first mate forgotten. "Hey! Ankh! Is Fell conscious yet? I think Roa's gonna pee himself!"

_"I'm willing to lay down my pride, my honor, and my life." _

A frustrated shout came from blondie, and an equally frustrated shout from the Witch Doctor, and then Atalaya got up to do something, presumably.

Kitsune smirked. "Whatever ya say, sweetheart..."

* * *

A/N: I still believe that Kitsune is seriously OOC... :/ Oh well! I hope you enjoyed this! As always, reviews and criticism is always welcome! :)

-alittlebitlate


	3. of insanity and comrades

Title: of insanity and comrades  
Characters: Saber Pirates (Atalaya/Everyone nakamaship/fluff)  
Word count: 453  
Rating: K plus

A/N: This huge plot bunny just hit my and my fingertips possibly _flew _over the keyboard. Dammit, guh, I love nakamaship _so much. _This is just my take on what the Saber Pirates were thinking when they joined her and how they feel about Atalaya.

Set after the Volcaniea arc.

* * *

Sometimes when they are in impossible situations, being chased down by an entire country, fighting against monsters that should have been dead long, long ago, breaking islands free of tyrannies, they question why they were there in the first place.

Sometimes they question why they would follow _her_.

And while they lean against the deck of their beautiful wooden ship, made by some of the finest materials of the world, sipping the hardest liquor they could find, they close their eyes, and _reminisce. _

They think of when they first saw her, a boy initially and then a girl. Rambunctious, too ambitious for her own good. Freedom-loving, stubborn, and determined. They dismissed her easily as another pirate that would sail to their deaths.

And then came the horror, the twisted claws of their past and the monsters of their future. The ones who they could not run from, even if they traveled around the world and even beyond.

And amidst that horror the girl stomped through with her cheerful grin, her fierce protectiveness. She utterly _annihilates _them, and while she does they almost feel sorry for their demons, and they join her battle and they feel as if a weight has been lifted from their chest and they can finally _breathe _properly.

And after comes the parties, the laughter, the music, the dancing, and they are still feeling strangely lightheaded and giddy from relief, and nothing but chaos follows the girl as she crashes through every table possible and a few walls too and they don't even care about the beri that will come out of their pocket to pay because they are _enjoying _it, they are finally _living _for what feels like the first time in their life.

So when the parties and songs are over and they are still laughing at the sheer absurdness of the entire situation the girl extends her hand, and with that cheerful smile she asks them to join her on the seas.

And only a madman would refuse.

So they laugh and they laugh some more as the grab her hand and she pulls them over, over to the salty sea air and the spray of cool water and the blue skies that they have never seen before and it hits them once again that they are _happy _and they would follow her, from one end of the world to the other and from life to death and beyond even that -

Because they are her _comrades _and they wear that name with pride, and when they close their eyes and tip the drink in their hands a bit more to let it burn their throats they smile, a genuine grin, and most importantly -

_they live. _

* * *

A/N: Did I mention that it was super-fluffy? No? Oops. Constructive criticism, especially about the characterization and the writing style, is very appreciated! Thanks! :3

-alittlebitlate


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